In this week's Worldwide Wrap, a French woman gets a disability grant for electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and the Virginia shooting video forces social networks to rethink whether autoplay is a good idea.
Disability grant
A French court has awarded a disability grant of around 800 euros per month to a woman who says she suffers from a debilitating allergy to electromagnetic radiation from everyday technologies such as mobile phones.
The condition, known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, is not recognised as a medical disorder in most countries, including France, and scientific studies have found no link between its symptoms and electromagnetic exposure, suggesting the condition may be psychosomatic.
Via: The Guardian
Virginia shooting
Facebook and Twitter were called to rethink the autoplay feature on videos posted to their Web sites, after thousands of people were unwillingly confronted with footage of gunman Bryce Williams killing two journalists on camera on Wednesday.
Williams recorded the killings with a GoPro-like camera, and posted the footage via social media shortly afterwards.
Via: BBC News
Self-driving trucks
The first self-driving vehicles to appear on US public roads will be construction vehicles in Florida later this year.
The specialised trucks, used to protect construction teams working on roads or bridges, are fitted with rear-end crash barriers and large signs.
Via: The Guardian
Computers detect schizophrenia
Researchers at Columbia University, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the IBM T J Watson Research Center have used an automated speech program to correctly differentiate with 100% accuracy between youth who did and did not go on to develop schizophrenia-related psychosis over a two-and-a-half-year period.
The computer program outperformed a variety of other advanced screening technologies.
Via:Mashable
Digital TB treatment
A team of undergraduates at Abertay University in Scotland have developed Sanitarium, a game that could help deliver new drug treatments in developing countries more quickly and cheaply than ever before.
The game uses a mathematical model developed at St Andrews University that uses data from human interactions to simulate a drug trial.
Via: BBC News
Mutilated toucan
A Brazilian toucan who lost half her beak has been successfully fitted with a 3D-printed prosthetic.
Tieta was rescued from a wildlife fair in Rio de Janeiro, after being trafficked there by smugglers. It is believed she lost half of her beak either through mistreatment by the smugglers, or through attack by a larger bird in transit.
Via: IFL Science
Share